BulAtom welcomes the Government’s Decision to build units 7 and 8 of Kozloduy NPP

Over the past few years, BulAtom has repeatedly expressed its view that four new nuclear units are needed by our country in the period up to 2050 – two of which by 2035. That is why we are happy to welcome the decision of the Council of Ministers of October 25, 2023, which simultaneously assigns concrete actions for the construction of Unit 7 of Kozloduy NPP and makes a decision in principle for the construction of Unit 8.

This is a right decision for Bulgaria, the implementation of which will ensure both the energy security and the competitiveness of our country in the long run. It is in unison with European and global trends, which are increasingly recognising the role of nuclear energy as the baseline energy in the climate-neutral mix.

The transition of Kozloduy NPP – New capacities EAD from the sole ownership of Kozloduy NPP EAD to the majority ownership of Bulgarian Energy Holding EAD and the simultaneous capitalization of the project company with BGN 500 million inspire confidence that the necessary financial resources are being committed and a suitable environment is provided for the creation of a viable project organization that can fully enter the role of Owner of an investment project of this scale.

We admire the designation of 2033 and 2035-2036 as the deadlines for commissioning of units 7 and 8, respectively. These dates are ambitious but realizable – as long as there is continuity and consistency in the country’s nuclear policy in the coming years.

We appeal to our political representation to create prerequisites for this now by laying down the construction of Units 7 and 8 in all relevant target documents – including the Strategy for Sustainable Energy Development, the Integrated Plan in the field of energy and climate and the Road Map for climate neutrality of the Republic of Bulgaria.

See the more detailed comments on the decision of the Council of Ministers of the Chairman of the Management Board of Bulatom, Dr. Eng. Bogomil Manchev, in BNT, BNR and Euronews